


the memories are flooding my mind, baby I can't stop it

by random_hallucinations



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon, Angst, Character Death, F/M, One Shot, god AU, somewhat enemies to lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:35:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24743953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/random_hallucinations/pseuds/random_hallucinations
Summary: Percy has been alive a long time and perhaps many of his memories were shaped by another minor god, someone he never thought he would even be friends with.Percy and Annabeth minor gods AU
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson
Comments: 7
Kudos: 108





	the memories are flooding my mind, baby I can't stop it

**Author's Note:**

> Written with bits and pieces over the many years Percy has been a minor god. In this AU the minor gods and demigods are both sent on quests, the only real difference is immortality and some godly powers. Title from Nostalgic by ARIZONA...which I listened to through most of this.

It had only been a couple of months. Months were like a blink of an eye to him at this point but somehow he knew that this was different. Sharing a life or death experience with someone can do that to you, especially as a god.

Percy had returned to his island to much of the usual. The nymphs had made sure to take care of keeping the island alive as best they could and it seemed that his domain had recovered from his time in Apollo’s care. It was simultaneously nice to be home and immensely terrible. In his hundreds of years of being a minor god, Percy has had his share of loneliness. There were moments of regret in becoming a god, of watching his friends die while he still remained. Moments of envy to be a mortal once again. In time it would pass and those bothersome thoughts wouldn’t weigh so heavy on his mind. But this loneliness was by far the worst.

~

Apollo had worked his magic and he was okay to finally leave Olympus. His father had stopped by briefly, their conversation stiff as usual. Even after all these years Poseidon didn’t have much to say to Percy but he supposed when your minor god of a son almost dies to a force that should have been killed long ago he should probably make an appearance. 

Annabeth had been conversing with her own godly parent when he found her. Their conversation didn’t seem much different than his own with Poseidon though Athena must have said something somewhat redeeming at the end as Annabeth smiled briefly. 

“You don’t have to be so cautious, son of Poseidon. I’m not going to set you aflame this time”. 

Percy distinctly remembered that event. Athena hadn’t known that he was sent to assist Annabeth on their first mission. Her distrust of Poseidon and any of his children was near its peak and upon their return she had made it very clear that Percy was to stay away from Annabeth. His burns were easily healed after a soak in the ocean but he didn’t particularly want to experience that again. That first quest had been rocky at best between him and Annabeth as it was, and subsequently they didn’t meet again for a couple hundred years. 

“I just didn’t want to interrupt, Lady Athena.” Annabeth’s frown as she looked at him didn’t instill confidence in him at all. It didn’t help to have Athena eyeing them both. 

“I shall leave you to talk.” In the wake of Athena’s departure, Percy was hit with a wave of heat and there was a lingering smell of smoke. Athena always did like to keep her threats at the front of one's mind.

“When did my mother set you on fire?” Annabeth’s voice was quiet as she stared at the point where her mother had just been. 

“A long time ago, right after we first met. She hadn’t been exactly happy that we were on that quest together I guess.” Percy was desperate for Annabeth to look at him. To know whether what he was feeling might be the same for her. But she resolutely continued to look anywhere else.

“I see you’ve recovered completely.” 

“Yeah. Apollo may be back to his poetry obsession, but he’s still got the healing touch.” There was a silence between them then that Percy didn’t know how to traverse. He almost wished that she would yell at him, tell him he was an idiot for jumping in front of her, anything instead of this silence. 

“I’m going home today. I’m slightly afraid to see the state of things there. But I didn’t want to leave without…” Percy didn’t know how to finish. Without saying goodbye? Without telling her that he loved her? That he hoped that it wouldn’t be years before he would see her again. 

“I’m leaving today as well.” Annabeth only briefly glanced up at him and Percy realized from the slight guilty look on her face that she was going to leave without talking to him. She wasn’t even going to say goodbye. 

“I see.” As a god Percy hadn’t had to deal with certain emotions he had when he was mortal. He had forgotten what some emotions had even felt like to be honest. But standing here before the goddess he had risked his life for, who he had slowly fallen in love with over all of their past quests together, Percy could only describe the pain in his chest as heartbreak. 

“I guess this is goodbye then.” 

Perhaps it was his tone or the finality of goodbye, but finally Annabeth was looking him in the eye. Percy was trying to school his features into something that didn’t betray how crushed he felt. It must have worked as Annabeth’s gaze was intense but unreadable as usual.

“I guess it is.” 

Percy allowed himself one last look at her. She was dressed in modern mortal clothes, probably going back to one of the mortal cities she liked to live in. She looked like any mortal, not an immortal goddess who could vaporize monsters and outsmart even the greatest gods. Percy briefly wondered what it would be like if they had met as mortals, if it would be any different, but immediately dashed the thought. It was impossible to know. He allowed the feeling of home to embrace him as he prepared to teleport.

“Goodbye Annabeth.”

~

He honestly hated the daughter of Athena. Perhaps he was relatively ‘young’ as a minor god, only having been around for 500 years but that didn’t mean he didn’t know what he was doing. It wasn’t like the first quest they had been on where they disagreed on everything and had almost gotten their demigod companions killed. They had in the end worked together but it was still a struggle every time she rolled her eyes at him or just gave him a look that said, ‘How stupid can you be?’. 

This situation wasn’t any different though at least they didn’t have any demigods to keep alive. They had been sent to disrupt some titans that seemed to be causing the mortals trouble. He had found it amusing that in the many prayers to the gods, the mortals seemed to think their mountains were filled with their undead relatives, returning to destroy their crops and supplies in retribution for their deaths. Annabeth had given him a sharp look when he had laughed at that. 

“Don’t be so disrespectful. As a mortal, it wouldn’t be that far of a leap. Wouldn’t you pray for your loved one to be at peace if you thought they were haunting your town?”

Percy honestly couldn’t remember much about his mortal family. If he closed his eyes sometimes he could picture his mother’s smile, hear her laugh, but they were only fleeting memories that no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t completely grasp. Being a mortal at that time had been brutal. People were dying constantly. Percy almost saw death as a release from some of the terrible things he had seen. Why a soul would come back to this earth just to burn crops would be beyond him.

Currently they were hidden behind a large rock formation, watching while some cyclopes were looking over a pile of weapons. They seemed to be arguing over who gets what while Percy and Annabeth quietly had their own argument on whether they should kill them or not. 

“Killing them will only alert everything else that we are here. We should gain as much information as to what the titans are doing before we are discovered.” Annabeth huffed as she eyed the nearest cyclops to make sure they weren’t being heard.

“We were told to disrupt their activities and get them moving so that the others can track them to their other hideouts. This isn’t a covert information gathering mission. We’re supposed to be attacking them.” Percy hissed back. Beckendorf’s teams were waiting around the mountain hoping to follow any of the monsters running out.

“Every mission should be about gaining information first because maybe if we get good intel there won’t be another mission after that.” And I wouldn’t be stuck with you wasn’t said but they both knew that’s what she meant. Percy knew there was no budging on the subject. 

As minor gods their presence could go mostly undetected compared to the higher gods and their powers needed more development over time. Percy being a son of Poseidon had been lucky enough to have some natural abilities with water but he had been attempting to develop his own way of communicating much to Iris’s chagrin. 

“Fine. I have an idea but you’re going to have to trust me.” From the look he was getting Annabeth didn’t trust him at all. “If we’re going to get any information we’re going to have to split up as we’ll be less likely to be detected and more likely to hear anything worthwhile. But I can still contact you with my modified Iris message.”

“You’ve modified Iris messages?” Annabeth still looked dubious so Percy waved a hand in front of her and watched her expression change to surprise. 

“No more trying to make rainbows and paying drachmas for me.” He could tell she wanted to ask how this was possible, practically could see her mind trying to figure it out, but instead she sighed and agreed that they should split up. 

Percy would never admit that Annabeth was right but she was right. They had made their way separately, Annabeth learning from some overly chatty empousa of some of the minor gods giving assistance to the titans and Percy overhearing the titans themselves as they planned to attack Olympus once again. With Percy’s messaging open they were able to pass the information to each other and still be aware of any other possible trouble. 

“You need to drive them out to the east. Beckendorf has his more capable trackers there.” Annabeth said after it seemed they weren’t going to get anything more. Percy just grinned as this was what he enjoyed. He didn’t get to fight often but when he did he savored it. Annabeth rolled her eyes at him. “Just hurry up Seaweed Brain.” 

Percy didn’t get a chance to respond as Annabeth swiped her hand through the message and it was only after the mission was over and he was home again that he registered she had turned calling him an idiot into a nickname. 

~

Percy’s home was a small island in the Meditteranean hidden from mortals, though occasionally a clear sighted mortal stumbled onto it. He openly invited naiads and dryads to make this their home as well and satyrs came and went as they pleased. He had met a son of demeter on his travels who had helped him to cultivate many different kinds of plants and informed him on how to keep them alive on his island. So Percy’s home had become home for many and he genuinely liked it that way. He had never really thought himself as a leader or a provider but he had turned into one. 

“Lord Perseus! If you could spare some of your time!” Two satyrs stood before the entrance of his house. Percy sighed as he knew this was going to be a conversation on how he should be putting more effort into pushing the mortals to be more mindful of the wild. 

“I apologize for the intrusion but I actually need to talk to my son for a moment. He’ll help you as soon as we’re done, I’m sure.”

The two satyrs, wide eyed, bowed to Poseidon before scampering away. It was odd to Percy to see them so afraid of his father but perhaps he had just become too accustomed to the gods that he had lost that fear long ago. 

“Father.” He bowed his head slightly. He hadn’t lost his manners though. 

“Perseus. It’s come to my attention that you have been on quite a few quests with the daughter of Athena.” 

Percy sighed. His father had never really been too invested in the rivalry between Athena and himself. He even thought it amusing at times. But of course if something ruined his image in some way Poseidon took it seriously. 

“I’m not exactly the one who chooses who goes on what quest but yes the past couple have involved Annabeth Chase.” It felt weird to say her full name, often only calling her Chase or Wise Girl these past couple of meetings, but Percy kind of found he liked it. It didn’t seem to sit well with his father though.

“Do not get too involved with the daughter of Athena. I may not be as resentful of Athena as she is of me but Athena and her children are still considered my rivals and often enemies to my children. They have proved time and time again that putting trust in them is unwise.”

Percy resisted the urge to roll his eyes, something he found he had started to do more often since meeting Annabeth. 

“It is not my intention to get ‘involved’ with Annabeth. We work together on these quests and that’s all. I’ve talked to her maybe a handful of times in the past couple centuries.” Poseidon was studying him and Percy defiantly stared back until Poseidon sighed.

“I’m just trying to warn you. You are very much like your mother. You care for things so easily which will only get you hurt in the end.”

Percy seethed over the mention of his mother for the rest of the day. It wasn’t a topic that even he brought up and he hated it even more when his father did. The gods had stolen his only good memories of his mortal life when he became a minor god. And it was times like this that he often wondered why he continued to follow them.

~

The gods liked a good party. And they celebrated anything that they pleased. The minor gods weren't always invited unless they happened to be in Olympus at the time and generally Percy made it a habit of only going to Olympus when called upon. But he was rather unlucky on this occasion as he had needed Hephaestus’ help on a project. 

He had meant to slip away until his father had caught sight of him. Celebrations were the only times Poseidon seemed fatherly, though more of a drunk than anything. 

“Perseus! Come and join the party!” Percy had a goblet of wine thrust into his hand and was pushed into one of the many pavilions made just for these occasions. Despite it being Poseidon’s invitation, Percy had learned long ago that it didn’t mean his father wanted him by his side. He forced his way through the growing crowd into the one of the corners he knew he could hide in only to find that it was already occupied.

“Forced to join the party as well?” Annabeth was leaning against the wall, dressed in a decorative chiton. Her hair was actually down and it surprised Percy how different she looked. He had never really seen Annabeth in anything other than armor. 

“Unfortunately. Though it seems we both had the same idea of hiding until they’re too drunk to notice your absence.” 

“Getting inebriated and making a fool of myself is not what I would call a pleasant time.”

“And what exactly would you consider a pleasant time?” Percy hadn’t meant it in a suggestive way, more out of actual curiosity seeing as he didn’t know much about the woman standing before him. Annabeth was eyeing him though probably trying to gauge whether he was serious or not. 

“I’ve actually been quite interested in architecture lately. The mortal’s temples are getting quite elaborate and very interesting to study.”

“Do you visit the mortal world often?” Annabeth gave a cautious look around them before answering.

“I actually have homes in many cities around the world. My mother doesn’t exactly approve as we aren’t supposed to interfere too much with mortal lives but there is just so much ingenuity happening it would make sense for me to want to witness it first hand.” 

Annabeth was giving him that look, just waiting for him to argue with her, to agree with Athena and most of the other gods that living among the mortals was a bad idea. But somehow all their past meetings seemed to make sense. 

“That fits you actually. And I see now why you’re so protective over the demigods that join us. You have more of a tie to them then any of us.” Percy watched her physically relax and briefly thought that perhaps he had misjudged the daughter of Athena. She was of course as complex as she seemed but not in the same cold and calculating way as her mother.

The rest of the evening turned out to be better than Percy could have hoped. Annabeth was actually quite companionable after the initial tension and it was easy conversation over their usual bickering.

“Does it ever bother you that you're named Perseus, the same as the son of Zeus?” Annabeth asked, curiosity alight in her gray eyes. 

“I’ve never really thought about it honestly. It’s not like everyone doesn’t just look at me and know that I’m not the hero they’re looking for.” Percy sipped more of his wine. 

“Just because you didn’t kill Medusa doesn’t mean you’re not a hero.” It may have been the first genuine thing she had ever said to him and Percy couldn’t help the smile on his face.

“Have you actually said something nice to me Chase? How much wine have you had to drink?”

Annabeth just huffed and rolled her eyes but her expression turned contemplative. 

“I’ve never thought to ask but what is your surname?”

“I don’t have one.” Percy couldn’t exactly remember if he had a surname as a mortal. If he had he had no clue what it was. His father was no help either. “I don’t really remember if I had one as a mortal and it doesn’t really matter when I’m called ‘the son of Poseidon’ more often than I am my name.”

Annabeth’s eyebrows were scrunched as if she were in deep thought. It was still strange to be in a non combative setting with her and it surprised him as the word beautiful crossed his mind when he looked at her. He was shaken from those thoughts though at her next words.

“Sometimes I wish I didn’t remember my surname or any of my mortal memories.” Annabeth gave a hollow laugh. “It’s not like my life was even as brutal as most peoples during that time. My father was a wealthy diplomat but he only cared about his money and having a successor. Once he had sons I didn’t really exist. When Athena had given me a chance of a quest I took it and never looked back.”

Percy wanted to ask if she ever regretted becoming a god but it definitely was not the place to ask such questions. 

“Is that how you learned your knife skills? If I recall, the first time we met you threatened to skin me alive and I must say I took that threat seriously after seeing you handle your blades.” Percy was glad to see a smile cross Annabeth’s face at the memory and couldn’t help but smile as well.

“Chiron gave me those. I was so young and had never used a sword but I was quick. I knew that if I were to have any chance at survival I would have to be the best. And so I practiced. I think I practiced so much Chiron was more afraid that I would die of exhaustion than from any monster.” 

“Somehow that doesn’t surprise me.” 

~

“We have called you forth because you are the best candidates for this quest.” Percy assumed that Zeus said this to every minor god and demigod that was sent to fix a problem but looking around he did see many of the more experienced, more trained fighters here at this particular meeting. It must have been more serious than the titans returning or interference from their roman counterparts. 

“Minor gods have started to disappear. They were patrolling the different entrances to Tartarus. We need you to investigate these sites.” 

It only was after that it seemed so illogical to send teams of two to known sites where something was capturing gods. Perhaps it was selfish of Percy to want to pair with Annabeth but it was too late now to go back now anyways. 

This particular entrance to Tartarus was already deep into the realm of the underworld and Percy hated being underground as much as being high up in the air. They didn’t say much, instead mentally preparing for whatever they were about to face. Despite being told that minor gods were missing, Percy wasn’t prepared to find a body. And definitely not the body of a friend. 

The raw anger Percy felt was all consuming. Staring down at his friend’s body, a friend who deserved a respectful funeral and not to be left in the pits of the underworld, made his hate for the gods stronger than ever before. 

“They use us as if we’re nothing, give us immortality just to keep using us. And now that immortality means nothing, we’re sent to die just as before. Perhaps that demigod Castellan was right. The gods don’t deserve to exist.”

“You shouldn’t say that so close to the Hades. He could smite you where you stand.”

“For all we know they’re sending things to kill us Annabeth!” They never really talk about their mutual distaste for the major gods, more of just hushed comments now and then. But he knew she must have had the same thought. He could see it in the way her jaw clenched and the indecision on how to respond that she was trying to choose her words carefully. 

“There is no proof that the gods are trying to kill us. There is no reason for them to do so and then have us investigate it as well. But we need to report that there is something out there that can kill minor gods.”

Percy could still feel all the anger rising in him and he rashly lashed out with Riptide, a giant gash carved into the rock wall of the cave. It seemed like lately all he could feel was anger but Annabeth was right as usual. Resolutely, Percy turned back to his fallen friend.

“What are you doing?”

“Taking Beckendorf’s body up so that he can have a proper funeral.” Annabeth nodded. Percy was glad she wasn’t going to argue about it.

The pyre Percy had setup was close to Beckendorf’s home. He hadn’t exactly officially invited others but he was happy to see that many of the other minor gods had come to pay their respects. There were only a couple demigods, one most notably the woman Beckendorf had mentioned to him a couple of times, Silena, he thought her name was. Percy carried the lit torch to where she stood.

“Did you want to...?” The pain written across her face made Percy regret asking but she took a deep breath and nodded.

“Thank you.”

Percy watched the flames make their way across the pyre standing there long after they consumed Beckendorf’s body. 

“Death is a strange concept when we’ve lived as long as we have.” Percy said. He could feel Annabeth’s eyes on him but he didn’t tear his eyes away from the fire.

“When you live in the mortal world you learn to not get attached. You learn that nothing is ever permanent.” 

Percy couldn’t help but think Annabeth hadn’t just been talking about death. 

~

There weren’t many times that Percy interfered with the wars on mortal lands. The gods discouraged it and sometimes strictly forbade it but this was different. It reminded him of such brutality that he thought was over in this world. 

His father had warned him not to join, that if he did that he would have his powers stripped from him. Percy didn’t hesitate to enlist in the British forces soon after. 

The British were planning a surprise attack on the German forces in the North Sea and Percy wanted to be a part of it. Things had been going smoothly as the British Royal Navy was the best in the world. The Germans were in retreat before long but not before taking out the ship Percy happened to be on. Percy had been on deck as an explosion rocked the battleship. There were screams of injured men and billows of smoke filling the air. Percy ran to the injured as the next explosion hit sending him flying overboard. 

Sharp pains he hadn’t felt in a long time filled his body and Percy’s last thought was that he hoped that someone would take care of his island as he hit the water.

Percy awoke in a small cottage, in a bed he had forgotten could be so soft. A middle aged woman sat next to him wrapping clean bandages. 

“It is alright dear. You’re safe here with me.”

“Where am I?” His voice was nothing but a whispered croak and the woman immediately chastised him to not speak.

“You were severely injured when I found you on the beach, child. You need your rest.” The woman made her way to the door presumably to let him rest and Percy could feel his eyelids growing heavy as he asked one last question.

“Who are you?”

“My name is Sally Jackson and I’ll take care of you so just rest.”

It seemed like days, a week even before Percy was lucid enough to thank Sally for her help. It wasn’t like mortals hadn’t been kind to him before but the amount of care this woman had given him, even though he hoped his father would never let him actually die, had surprised him quite a bit. But he found the reason one evening when Sally had brought him his food.

“Are you here on your own?”

“Yes. My husband passed away a long time ago. He was in the navy like you.” Sally busied herself with clearing the tray and Percy couldn’t help but sympathize. This room was tidy and held a single bed. Perhaps it was a guest room but to Percy it seemed more of that of a young man’s. There was a baseball bat and glove tucked into the corner and the closet held nice button down shirts. His suspicion was confirmed as Sally slowly continued her story. 

“Our son wanted to be just like his father. Except he ironically was terribly sea sick on boats.” 

Sally had returned from the kitchen with a small photo album. She opened it to the first page and Percy could see a young Sally Jackson with a tall broad man and a small kid staring up at his father as if he hung the moon. “I think after Philip died, Peter was even more determined. He joined the army.”

Percy could already tell how this story was going to end but he let her tell it. He let her tell him about how Peter was never really good at school, couldn’t sit still if his life depended on it. He told her how nervous he had been when he brought home his first girlfriend. How the work at the manufacturing plant just didn’t satisfy him. How he wanted to make a difference like his father. When the war began was when he enlisted. The letters he would send home started out positive but as the war continued her son’s words became fearful and jaded. Sally prayed to all the gods to bring him home safely but it hadn’t been maybe two weeks since she had received a letter of her son’s death. 

Percy held her hands as this impossibly strong woman silently cried. He cursed the gods for letting such a thing happen though he knew they had no control over such things. 

Sally took care of him for another few days. Percy knew he had healed quite quickly and that he needed to return and help as much as he could. Sally hadn’t commented on how he was miraculously better in such a short time period. He wondered if she somehow knew he wasn’t exactly of this world.

When the day came for him to leave, he wanted to promise he would return but he knew how false it would be. Sally gave him a knowing smile. 

“Take care child.” She wrapped him in a warm embrace before stepping back. “Thank you.”

“Shouldn’t it be me thanking you?” Percy couldn’t help but laugh but it died in his throat at the motherly look on Sally’s face. 

“You have saved me more than I have you.” Percy thought those words would stay with him forever. 

After the war Percy always introduced himself as Percy Jackson. 

~

The wards Percy set up to protect his island were hardly ever set off and certainly not in the middle of the night. His reaction was still immediate, grabbing riptide and rushing to the western beach. What he found was a soaked satyr. 

“Normally I allow satyrs to pass through here by day.” Percy couldn’t help the irritation in his voice but it turned to concern as the satyr coughed up quite a bit of sea water and pointed behind him.

“Cyclops...following...had no...choice.”

Percy grabbed the satyr under the arms and hauled him to his feet. He didn’t think a cyclopes could get past the barrier but then again this satyr somehow did. True enough Percy could hear the sizzle of the barrier opening and a cyclops was standing on his beach. 

“Sorry island is closed.” Percy made sure to move the sayr behind him. The cyclops only bared his ugly teeth and prepared to charge. Percy sighed.

He made quick work of the situation and brought the satyr into one of his spare rooms. He must have passed out at some point but even with Percy’s limited medical knowledge he seemed to be fine. 

The next morning his surprise guest was already awake and sitting at his kitchen table. 

“I would say make yourself at home but it seems you already have.” Percy grabbed some fruit passing one to the satyr before sitting opposite him. 

“I apologize Lord Perseus I-”

“No, no. Please don’t call me lord. Just Percy will be fine.” 

This didn’t seem to sit well with him as he fidgeted, rolling the apple back and forth in his hands. He seemed to have to slowly work up the nerve before continuing on.

“I’m sorry...Percy for arriving at such an odd hour, with a cyclops following me no less.” He took a deep breath and it was like a damn broke. “You see I’m hoping to gain your help. As you probably know it’s every satyr’s dream to find the god Pan. I mean at least it’s always been my dream. There aren’t many wild places left. Or at least I’ve already been to most of them that I know of. And I have of course heard of your island in passing. But it was really Lady Annabeth who suggested coming here-”

“Wait. Annabeth told you to come here?” An unbidden pleased feeling settled in Percy’s chest. They had been getting along these past couple of years, almost to the point that Percy would consider her his friend, though he didn’t really know if Annabeth thought the same of him. It was still hard to decipher what she thought of him honestly. 

“Yes, Lady Annabeth suggested asking you for help since you somehow cloaked your island so well and that perhaps Pan did something similar.”

“Well I wouldn’t say I’ve been that successful if you and a cyclops made it through in the middle of the night.” Percy was planning on investigating that later. “Did Lady Annabeth have any other suggestions, umm...?”

“Oh, Grover! My name is Grover. And no. Or at least she didn’t outright say she had any other suggestions. I could see her mind working on it though, if you know what I mean.” 

Percy chuckled. He definitely knew and could picture the exact expression on her face. 

“Well Grover, I’m going to try and figure out how you got in first and then maybe I can help you find Pan.” The look of pure gratefulness on Grover’s face made Percy smile despite the fact that he was often asked this by the satyrs passing through. He hadn’t thought about if Pan had used similar cloaking techniques though. Leave it to Annabeth to think up other possible solutions. 

“Oh, and Lady Annabeth wanted me to give this to you.” Grover grabbed a mailing tube from beside him and handed it to Percy. He wasn’t sure what Annabeth would have sent him but he was too curious to wait for privacy to find out. He pulled the cap off the end and pulled out multiple large sheets of drafting paper. There would be no way to stop the grin that spread across his face.

It had been a brief conversation the last time they had met. Annabeth’s long standing fascination with architecture perplexed Percy but he often asked if there was anything new and exciting in the mortal cities. She mentioned something about a man named Frank Llyod Wright and some house called falling water and how the terraces were beautiful overlooking a rive r . Percy didn’t quite remember all the details, unless you counted the expressions Annabeth’s face made when she described the cantilevers or how structurally the concrete base had issues. He had briefly mentioned that he wanted to expand some of the buildings on his island to accommodate the satyrs needs, making it more integrated with nature.

The plans before him were extensive, even going as far as materials and if the satyrs used their abilities to help grow and shape trees to create more support. There were little scribbled notes in messy handwriting of possible ideas and more concise ideas written with great care. The note that made him laugh the most was hastily scribbled at the top, ‘Just some ideas for your island’. He could only guess how long it took Annabeth to create this. 

“Lady Annabeth really is something isn’t she?” Percy had almost forgotten that Grover was still there in the kitchen with him.

“Yeah. She really is.” 

He may not have been much help to Grover in his quest to find Pan but Percy was grateful that Grover had stayed to help him bring Annabeth’s plans to life. 

~

It wasn’t a hard decision. They were getting worn down and all around them Percy could see fallen demigods. He hated that the gods put them here with no real chance of survival. He hated that they had to fight for gods who didn’t care whether they lived or not. The God Killer needed to be stopped. And apparently Annabeth thought the same.

Anyone should be rightfully filled with fear at the sight of the daughter of Athena charging at them. It was a terrifying sight, though for Percy in a different way. It spurred him into action, needing to be there by her side but he was still too far away.

The God Killer was matching Annabeth blow by blow, and it was visibly taking its toll. Moves that Percy has seen take down the worst of monsters were having no effect. Percy was only a couple meters away when Annabeth cried out as she was kicked to the ground.

“Say goodbye, daughter of Athena.” Percy had lost his shield long ago but it didn’t matter. He knew with a hundred percent certainty that he was going to take the blow. Everything seemed to turn to slow motion as his eyes met Annabeth's for a split second before the God Killer’s sword went right through his stomach. 

“Percy!” Percy grabbed the killer’s arm, slashing upwards and completely removing it from its body. An unearthly scream filled the air only to be silenced by twin daggers. Golden ichor dripped onto the ground as Percy fell to his knees. The God Killer burst into dust, the sword taken with him. 

“Percy!” He barely registered hands catching him before hitting the ground, gray piercing eyes that were filling with tears staring down at him. “You can’t die on me you hear me. You’re going to be okay. Everything’s going to be okay.”

Percy’s sight filled with a flash of golden light, his already confused mind not being able to register it as that of a god’s true form. The voices were just light hums as he slid into unconsciousness. 

~

It had been a couple weeks before Grover appeared on the island. Percy’s home was kind of a mess, the kitchen hadn’t been cleaned in a week and Percy didn’t even want to know what the state of his island was like. 

“Dude, I know you almost died not too long ago but you need to pull yourself together.” Over the years they’ve known each other, Grover had finally stopped calling him Lord and it wouldn’t be a stretch for Percy to say that he was his best friend. 

Percy couldn’t really argue. He knew that he wasn’t really keeping up with his normal duties on his island. 

“I mean I saw coke cans and other plastic bottles on your beach just now. That’s just gross man.”

When Percy just continued to lay in bed, Grover just sighed. The room suddenly filled with an awful rendition of a Hilary Duff song and Percy was suddenly lifted from his bed and standing in front of Grover, who immediately smacked him across the face. 

“Gods, Grover what was that for?” 

“I distinctly remember you telling me that if you ever lost touch with conserving the ocean waters I was allowed to slap you.” 

Percy rubbed his cheek, mouth open to protest, but instead just sighed.

“True. I did say that.” Percy slumped back onto the edge of his bed, head in his hands.

“You know, you can always contact her.” Percy sometimes regretted telling Grover that he had feelings for Annabeth but he supposed Grover would have figured it out on his own by now anyway. If jumping in front of a sword for her didn’t give it away, he didn’t know what would. “Either way you need to stop moping around or I’m officially taking over this island as my own. Renaming it and everything. Grover’s Grand Paradise, no non conservationist minor gods of the sea allowed.“

Percy laughed as he stood up. He probably looked a mess. He hadn’t shaved for weeks and was sporting the beginnings of a rough beard. He probably was starting to look like Poseidon. That thought alone was motivation. 

“Alright, just let me get cleaned up and I’ll be out in a bit.” Percy didn’t miss the smile on Grover’s face. 

Cleaning up the island and his house was an all day event. Percy liked to do things manually, godly powers to do meager things had only been fascinating to him for the first couple years. By the end of the day he was exhausted but in a much better way than before. He would have to remind himself to thank Grover.

~

After the initial Grover incident Percy never had another barrier problem on his island. That is until now. Unlike before Percy could tell that this wasn’t just a simple satyr. It felt powerful. With a snap of his fingers he was fully kitted in armor, Riptide in hand. He may have been neglecting the island the past couple months but he would be damned if he let anyone die from a monster attack.

When Percy arrived at the source he realized he was right. It was a powerful being. Annabeth was standing there staring up at the satyr quarters she had designed.

“You built it.” Annabeth’s voice was barely a whisper.

“Of course I built it.” Annabeth wiped around, her expression fierce, and Percy almost thought she was going to attack him. Instead she surged forward cupping his face in her hands as she kissed him, the force almost knocking him over. 

“You’re an idiot Perseus Jackson.” She said softly. 

Percy took a step back then. 

“I’m the idiot? It’s been almost a year and you just decide to show up as if you hadn’t just ignored me since I saved your life.”

“You never contacted me either! You with your own messaging system.” The fierceness returned but this time it was real anger.

Percy sighed. It wasn’t like he hadn’t thought about it. He just thought she didn’t want him to contact her. He had never messaged her outside of their quests so why would she want him to start now. He was momentarily distracted by movement over Annabeth’s shoulder and suddenly Percy became very aware of the audience they had. Some of the satyrs were trying to discreetly watch from their windows.

“Perhaps we should talk elsewhere.”

Annabeth had never been to his island. Percy could see her taking it all in, almost analyzing every inch. He had never really been self-conscious of his home but he was sure that Annabeth was finding faults in everything. 

They were standing in his kitchen now, the anger between them gone, but still Percy didn’t exactly know how to begin this conversation. Fortunately Annabeth spoke first. 

“I was prepared to die. Perhaps it’s been so long since a battle was actually life threatening but I was okay with it if it meant saving the demigods who had no choice. I wasn’t afraid.” 

“Do you know how afraid I was of you dying? You’ve been the only good constant in this immortal life. When Apollo took you…” Annabeth looked away ashamed. “I killed every last one of those monsters. I hurt some demigods in the process, almost killing Piper and Jason when they barely looked away in time when I showed my true form. I’ve never lost control like that before. Even when I knew you were going to be okay I didn’t feel relief. All I could think about is that it was possible for you to die. It was possible for you to leave me just like everyone else.”

“Annabeth…” There were tears in her eyes now as Percy immediately closed the space between them. He enveloped her in his arms, feeling her tremble slightly as she cried. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“You don’t know that.” 

“Of course I do. We’re prepared now if this were to ever happen again. You can’t tell me that you haven’t stored away in that big brain of yours all of that battle strategy from that fight in case we need it again.“ Percy smiled as he at least got a light huff from Annabeth. He let her compose herself before she pulled back just enough to look him in the eyes.

“Why didn’t you contact me?”

It was Percy’s turn to look away.

“I didn’t think you wanted me to. I mean our last interaction didn’t really feel like you wanted to talk to me ever again. I’m still slightly confused at why you’re here now.” 

“Because I love you, Seaweed Brain. And maybe it took me a while to figure it out and to realize that staying away from you is the same as losing you.” Annabeth sighed. “But I’m here now and I hope I’m not too late.”

Percy couldn’t contain the smile on his face from the moment Annabeth had said love. He leaned forward then pressing his lips to hers. 

“I don’t know, I’m not sure if I want to be set on fire by your mother again.” The blush on her cheeks made Percy laugh and she tried to push him away. 

“I don’t think so Wise Girl. I’m not letting you get away from me again.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on tumblr at random-hallucinations.tumblr.com under #myart drew percy and annabeth. I don't know where all this motivation came from but I had fun writing and drawing for this.


End file.
